When Democrats pushed through mail-in voting for Colorado, Republicans objected over the potential for vote fraud. So far, though, the GOP has become its biggest beneficiary. Late yesterday, a report from the Secretary of State showed Republicans with a 104,000-ballot lead, giving them a nine-point edge in early voting: Republicans are blowing out Democrats in Colorado early voting, the secretary of State there says. … The AP said that 41 percent of the 1.1 million early ballots were from Republicans, with roughly a third coming from Democrats and a quarter from independent voters. Colorado’s voters are basically evenly split among...

DENVER (AP) -- Republicans are taking a big lead in early voting in Colorado. A report from the Secretary of State on Friday showed that 104,000 more Republicans than Democrats had cast their ballots as the state conducts its first major mail-in election. Voters can also drop off ballots at polling stations and register through Election Day....

Mark Udall says he's "troubled" by Obama's quickness to act on IS (!!!?!!!?!!), and that the two journalists beheaded by IS terrorists would have wanted a "cautious" approach."I can tell you," Udall said, "Steve Sotloff and James Foley would tell us, don't be impulsive. Horrible and barbarous as those executions were, don't be impulsive, come up with a plan to knock ISIL back." Allah makes a point that didn't occur to me: Given that we know that Obama delayed the rescue mission that would have saved both Sotloff and Foley, until they were no longer present at the target site,...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)There are 65 prominent people who might run for president in 2016. The Democratic and Republican fields contrast sharply. Hillary Clinton is the clear front-runner, while there is no front-runner on the Republican side. Twenty-three Democrats have been mentioned as a candidate or are eyeing a bid, according to an analysis by The Hill. The GOP side has 42. Most of the people on this list won’t run, and some have adamantly claimed that they’re not interested. But many politicians have changed their minds on seeking the White House. Before mounting his 2008 bid, then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said he...

On Saturday, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin accused President Barack Obama of knowingly allowing turning American into an "unfunded charity" for illegal immigrants to invade and overrun. Referring to Obama as "the DREAMweaver," Palin said when Congress declined to pass amnesty legislation, Obama "waved his magic wand" and enacted his own. "And that created the current crisis as illegals are pouring in to collect what he illegally promised them," Palin said at the Western Conservative Summit in Colorado. "If Obama won't obey the law and secure the borders, it's not immigration, it's invasion." Nearly 60,000 illegal immigrant children have flooded...

BROOMFIELD, Colo. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton gave a measured defense Monday of the Obama administration's controversial decision to swap five Guantanamo Bay detainees for a U.S. soldier held hostage in Afghanistan, noting that many of America's allies make similar deals. The former secretary of state was asked about the exchange by the moderator at an event in a Denver suburb. Clinton said she did not second-guess people who make such tough decisions, but said the American tradition of caring for its citizens and soldiers was a "noble" one....

“For crime of hanging out with a Republican, Democratic state senator fires staffer,” according to this Daily Caller story: A recent college graduate and aide to Colorado state Senator Irene Aguilar was fired from his job because he visited the office of a friend who worked for a Republican. Tyler Drum, who graduated from Colorado State University last year, told Campus Reform that his friendship with Republicans made Sen. Aguilar uncomfortable, though she did not formally give a reason for his firing. “Partisanship runs much deeper than I thought,” he said in an interview with Campus Reform. “I thought this...

Thanks to the gun control blitzkrieg led by Democratic lawmakers last year, Colorado is about to take a hit in the wallet in the midst of an already anemic economy, and lose hundreds of private-sector jobs at a time when they can least afford it.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Thursday took a big swing at libertarian-leaning lawmakers in both parties, calling the ideology, when applied to national security, “a very dangerous thought.” His comments come just one day after the House narrowly rejected a sweeping amendment to defund the National Security Agency’s surveillance program. Addressing the bipartisan coalition that joined together to nearly push the so-called Amash amendment through, Christie told lawmakers who harbor libertarian views on the issue to explain their position to the victims of 9/11, the Washington Post’s Aaron Blake reports. He also included Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in...

Four Colorado Democrats, including Senator Angela Giron, face recall efforts. (Opposing Views) Colorado Democratic lawmakers face recall efforts after their gun control votes. FOX News reported: Colorado Democratic lawmakers who recently helped pass some of the toughest gun-control laws in the country now face the political backlash of recall efforts. Two groups are targeting state Rep. Mike McLachlan and state Sens. Angela Giron, Evie Hudak and John Morse. The Democrat-controlled legislature passed bills that ban magazines holding more than 15 rounds and require background checks for all gun transfers. They were signed into law in March by Democratic Gov. John...

During a forum on gun control in Colorado hosted by The Denver Post, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) mocked the concerns of a senior citizen who said that his impairments would put him at a significant disadvantage in a firefight under the state’s new gun laws. She drew laughs from the crowd when she reminded the questioner that he can take advantage of the Denver Police Department’s services. She added that, in the hypothetical situation the questioner described, “you’d probably be dead anyway.” At the Tuesday night forum, the elderly questioner described his unique circumstances and asked DeGette about how he...

From PJ Media: ...State Sen. Evie Hudak, who, at a hearing on banning concealed carry on college campuses, told rape survivor Amanda Collins that having a gun would not have done her any good. Collins had just shared her story of survival. Democrat Hudak berated her in response. “I just want to say, statistics are not on your side, even if you had had a gun. You said that you were a martial arts student, I mean person, experience in taekwondo, and yet because this individual was so large and was able to overcome you even with your skills...

While all national attention is focused — indeed riveted — on the seven to nine swing or battleground states, a major shift is taking place in the rest of the country: Voters are turning off Obama and onto Romney. In the forty states where the Obama campaign has not spread toxic negative ads against Romney, the Republican is gaining by leaps and bounds and will likely carry a bunch of “non-swing” normally blue states. Specifically, Romney is now three points ahead in Pennsylvania, one point behind in Michigan, and only two points behind in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Together, these four...

It's well known that Ohio is the key, and that Ohio state polls seem not to follow the national trend (Romney should be leading by at least 3-4, no polls showing him better than tie instead). RCP average in 2008 missed the real result in many states by several points (2.1 in Ohio, 2.5 in Indiana, 3 in Pennsylvania, 3.5 in Colorado, 5 in Arizona e 6 in Nevada) so maybe it's just due to the margin of error but it's worrying anyway. Anyway if Romney loses Ohio he has to win Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin and New Hampshire (if he...

Mitt Romney is now leading in every state in today’s Solid South, including the three – Florida, North Carolina and Virginia – that Barack Obama won in 2008 and where his campaign has expended considerable muscle, money and candidate time. Moreover, the nationwide polls also show a marked shift to Romney since the first debate. The President, however, still maintains leads in most of the battleground states. In Florida, with a substantial 29 electoral votes, virtually all polls now give Romney the lead, with the Real Clear Politics (RCP) average showing a 2.1 point lead for the Republican challenger. The...

You need to read way, way, way down into this National Journal piece to find the key bit, but itÂ’s worth it. Says Jay Cost, Â“IÂ’ve never seen anybody bury a lede like Major Garrett here.Â” LetÂ’s bring this treasure chest up to the surface: What also became clear after the dust began to settle from the rumble on Long Island was the electoral map has narrowed and ObamaÂ’s team, while conceding nothing publicly, is circling the wagons around Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. Plouffe said that Obama remains strong in all four states, but he would not discuss...

So the race for the White House has definitely become much easier for us in the past week and a half...and the VP debate probably didn't do anything to help Obama. After analyzing the polls and history, I think we can safely say that the electoral vote count is: Romney: 257 I give Romney all McCain states plus Indiana, Nebraska 2, NC, FL, VA, and Colorado. I think Romney will definitely win those, meaning he needs only 13 more electoral votes with theses states left: PA, WI, MI, NH, Iowa, Nevada, and Ohio. These are the states Romney needs to...

HH: Broadcasting from the CPAC convention in Denver on the day after the most devastating loss in the history of presidential debates suffered by Barack Obama, the Agincourt of presidential debates. Call it Midway, call it Dien Bien Phu, call it whatever you want, it was a rout. And who will call it best? Mark Steyn, of course, Columnist To the World. Mark, welcome, what did you think of last night? MS: Well, I’m not sure I’d go as far as, what did you say, Midway, Agincourt… HH: Agincourt, Midway and Dien Bien Phu, because John Kerry was involved. We...

Unhappily I was right: Mitt Romney could—and did—win the first debate. But I’m not eloquently panicked, as Andrew Sullivan was during his live blog of Obama’s defeat in Denver. The president could have put the election away; but it’s emphatically overstated, if entirely understandable, to suggest the opposite—that “[he] may even have lost the election” with “the wrong strategy … [at] the wrong moment.” Yes, CNN’s instant survey showed Romney winning 67 percent to 25 percent; CBS reported a lesser landslide of 46 to 22. But after a few harrowing days for Democrats, something deeper than the numbers game may...

DENVER—President Barack Obama, stung by bad reviews in his first debate of the 2012 White House race, joked that the "very spirited fellow" onstage with him was "not the real Mitt Romney." Obama also mocked the former Massachusetts governor's pledge to cut government subsidies for PBS as "finally getting tough on Big Bird." "When I got onto the stage, I met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney," he told cheering supporters here. "But it couldn't have been Mitt Romney, because the real Mitt Romney has been running around the country for the last year promising $5...

Ellen Carmichael@ellencarmichael Luntz said he has never had a focus group swing as much as his Obama-leaning group did tonight. "This is a big deal," he says. 3 Oct 12 Reply Retweet Favorite Tonight, pollster Frank Luntz assembled a focus group consisting of undecided Colorado voters. By the end of tonightÂ’s debate, the group had moved dramatically toward GOP nominee Mitt Romney. At least half a dozen focus group members who voted for Barack Obama in 2008 now say they will vote for Romney. Virtually everyone in the group said that Romney won the debate and exceeded their expectations. Luntz,...

Mitt Romney has a slight advantage over President Obama in the critical battleground state of Colorado, according to a survey released Tuesday from conservative polling outlet Rasmussen. Romney leads with 47 percent support over Obama at 45 percent, according to the survey of 500 likely voters. That's within the poll’s 4.5 percent margin of error. Colorado is a true toss-up, with Obama holding a 1.7 percent lead in the Real Clear Politics average of polls. Obama won the state easily over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008, 54 to 45 percent. It was only the second time since 1968 Colorado...

Less than an hour after President Barack Obama had stepped off of the Democratic National Convention stage, Republican challenger Mitt Romney's campaign announced 15 new, state-specific television advertisements which the campaign says will run in 8 battlegrounds. A week ago, Romney was officially made the Republican Party's presidential nominee, granting him access to a substantial war chest set aside for the general election. His campaign largely stayed off of television during the Democratic National Convention, which concluded after Obama's speech on Thursday. --snip-- Now that Romney has officially been named the GOP nominee his campaign will get its hands on...

he prolific Democratic polling firm has the president ahead, by tightening margins, in two swing states. Here's Colorado: PPP's first post-convention Colorado poll finds Barack Obama continuing to hold the lead over Mitt Romney in the state, 49-46. This is, however, the closest PPP has found the race in four Colorado polls this year suggesting that Romney may have received a modest bounce in the state. Last month we found Obama ahead by a 49-43 margin in Colorado. But in the wake of his selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate and the Republican convention Romney has consolidated the...

LAKEWOOD, Colo.— A capacity crowd of over 2,000 packed a high-school gym here Tuesday for vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan’s first appearance in the swing state, the room dotted with toddler-toting moms and senior citizens. Introduced by a Lakewood High School senior and Romney volunteer just weeks too young to vote for him— the crowd replied loudly, “Awwww.”— Ryan touted his connection to the Rocky Mountain state, saying he had been planning to be in Colorado this week anyway, “for family vacation.” “I’ve been climbing 14ers for 20 years in this great state,” he said— a reference to Colorado’s...

As President Obama launched a two-day swing through Colorado on Wednesday, his campaign got some unwelcome news. A new swing states poll by Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News has Mr. Obama trailing Mitt Romney by five percentage points in Colorado. Yet this is the state that voted for Obama by nearly nine points in 2008 and that earlier polls have indicated favors him again this year. Is Obama losing his touch with Colorado voters? Not necessarily. Taken together with other polls from the past few days, the results are all over the place. One, from Public Policy Polling, has Obama...

After a late scare, Rep. Doug Lamborn won the Republican primary in the 5th district and should win re-election in the fall. Around 9:30 p.m. the Associated Press called the race for Lamborn, who had 69 percent to self-funding challenger Robert Blaha’s 39 percent with 87 percent of precincts reporting. Blaha’s early spending was enough to make some of Lamborn’s backers nervous and the Blaha team confident. There was little in the way of public polling, and Blaha’s spending raised eyebrows. Still, in the end, it was not enough. (Except for a brief period when a snafu with AP results...

Editor’s note: This is the Herald’s weekly roundup of campaign news. DENVER – Both presidential campaigns confirmed this week something that Colorado TV viewers already suspected: This is one of a handful of states that will determine who will be the next president. The campaigns named their battlegrounds in messages to supporters this week, and Colorado was one of five states on both lists. The other four are Florida, Ohio, Iowa and Virginia. In addition, President Barack Obama is targeting North Carolina, Wisconsin and New Hampshire, and presumed Republican candidate Mitt Romney is focused on Arizona and Nevada. With 538...

Not too long ago pundits were arguing that Mitt Romney’s path to 270 electoral votes was “narrow.” We didn’t buy it. Lo and behold, conventional wisdom has now changed. The Associated Press writes: “Warning signs for Obama on tight path to 270.” The AP explains: Obama’s new worries about North Carolina and Wisconsin offer opportunities for Republican Mitt Romney, who must peel off states Obama won in 2008 if he’s to cobble together the 270 electoral votes needed to oust the incumbent in November. Iowa, which kicked off the campaign in January, is now expected to be tight to the...

MONTROSE, CO - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum took a new jab at Newt Gingrich, saying he wants to "endanger" the former Speaker. The dig came during a campaign rally in Montrose, CO., as Santorum railed against the federal government's environmental regulations. "These are your lands! Oh but they always say we're doing it for your benefit," Santorum decried. "We'll make sure that you don't do something to scar the land or you don't do something to endanger a newt. No not that Newt, different newt. I want to endanger that Newt - that's a different story." The line drew...

Raleigh, N.C. – Having made his bid for the Republican presidential nomination official Saturday, Rick Perry instantly becomes a big threat to Mitt Romney’s dominance in the Western primaries and in the South, where he is already potentially weak. Perry ties Romney in Colorado, where Romney had enjoyed a lead, albeit small, when PPP last polled the state in February. Romney gets 22% to Perry’s 21%, with Michele Bachmann at 15%, Newt Gingrich at 9%, Ron Paul at 7%, Tim Pawlenty at 6%, Herman Cain at 5%, and Jon Huntsman at 2%. With Sarah Palin in the field, Romney and...

Yesterday Sarah Palin sent another signal that she probably won't enter the 2012 presidential race when it was announced she would be doing an event in Denver on May 2—the same day as the first Republican presidential debate. Ms. Palin has agreed to appear in suburban Lakewood at a "Tribute to the Troops with Sarah Palin," a fundraiser for the families of fallen soldiers in suburban Denver. John Andrews, a former GOP gubernatorial nominee who heads the Centennial Institute, says Ms. Palin will not accept a fee and all proceeds from the event will go to family members who have...

For many Republicans, the bright, golden haze of Election Day is marred by a thunderhead on the horizon -- the increasingly erratic political interventions of Sarah Palin. In the past, Palin embodied the populist style of the Tea Party movement while espousing a fairly mainstream Republican ideology. On economic, social and foreign policy, Palin seldom strayed from a simplified, popularized Reaganism. The mama grizzly may have been ferocious, but her talking points came from the Heritage Foundation instead of from darker corners of the right. But this election season has called that perception into question. Palin's endorsement of Christine O'Donnell...

Colorado 3rd Congressional District candidate Scott Tipton says he's pleased former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is backing him. The endorsement appeared on one of Palin's web sites, www.takebackthe20.com. Tipton tells 11News he found out about the endorsement on Friday. He says it wasn't something his campaign pursued but he appreciates her support. The website also shows Palin is endorsing Cory Gardner for Colorado's 4th District. Palin's web site is aimed at replacing 20 house democrats that voted in favor of the health care bill.

This is worth our time. It is Sarah Palin’s address, then her joining with Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt for questions and answers, last Saturday 5/22, at the Saturday 5/22, at the University of Denver: (VIDEO AT LINK) The event covered the bases of what constitutes inspiring conservatism, to the conventional 2010 mind and Governor Palin was luminous of mind and heart. Some even call her edgy and by conventionality’s standards, she is. But two critical aspects of the doings of 2010 were missing on this evening, again. They are what is never communicated in polite Republican speeches, whether in...

I have been doing some reading on this subject maybe someone can shed some light on this I have found that our President is being taken to court for the fact that he is not who he says he is and Dr Manning is going to court for this matter. I am very shocked that this is a big subject but Dr Manning has a trial going on and I listened to his radio show online and they spoke about President Obama was known in Canada as Barry Soetoro, if this is not true then why is Dr Manning not...

What an amazing year for Politics in the U.S.A. On March 6, 2010, the 912 project and tea party groups combined to host a Candidate Search 2010 Forum at the Douglas County, CO Events Center. The events center was divided in half for the event. One side had tables for candidates and other sponsors, kind of like a trade show. The other half held a stage and seating for the crowd to hear the candidates. The event lasted all afternoon. 1. The candidates that appeared all gave a short background intro and a 5 minute stump speech followed by some...

You should never annoy a cop. As a working lawyer in the suburbs with a criminal docket, it has been my sad experience over the years to have clients who insist on going to trial for a misdemeanor crime. At trial, it is my guy’s word against the cop’s. The jury hears the defendant’s pitch and then hears from the cop. The cop is simply doing his duty. He isn’t out to get anyone. The client wants to get off of the rap for the crime he has committed. The party’s motives come into play. My experience is that the...

Castle Rock, CO The Douglas County Republican Party held a special election on January 19th at the Douglas County Events Center to replace outgoing Chairman John Ransom on a joyous night that was made special by the voters of Massachusetts. Before formal activities began, it was announced that Scott Brown had decisively won the U.S. Senate Seat formerly held by the late Ted Kennedy. Douglas and El Paso counties have very special roles when it comes to statewide elections. Both counties are predominately Republican and the local outcomes are not always that dramatic. However, each of these counties is a...

Republican Senators are lining up in support of Colorado State University students, who are defending their right to carry a concealed weapon on campus. While CSU does not allow weapons of any kind in its residence halls, individuals are allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus as long as they have a properly issued concealed weapons permit. Last week, however, the CSU Board of Governors voted 9-0 to implement a policy that would leave the specifics of the school’s weapon control policy up to campus presidents. The policy shift is predicted to result in a campus wide ban, with most...

Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier announced Thursday that he would switch gears and run for the House seat currently held by Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), rather than for the Senate. “It’s time to re-energize the people’s House with new leadership and better solutions. The 7th Congressional District represents the right path, right now, to do my part in helping make America better. The people here deserve a better choice,” Frazier said in a statement.

Douglas County, Colorado has three streams running from South to North. The Cherry Creek, East Plum Creek and West Plum Creek all eventually flow into the Platte River and the water then makes its way down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Many of Colorado’s first settlers made their homesteads on these three rivers. The West Plum Creek ends at Sedalia, Colorado, founded in 1865. This land along the West Plum Creek is Horse Country as it has been for over 140 years. On Saturday September 19th, the Douglas County Republicans held their annual picnic. They chose the Wiens...

Douglas County, Colorado has three streams running from South to North. The Cherry Creek, East Plum Creek and West Plum Creek all eventually flow into the Platte River and the water then makes its way down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Many of Colorado’s first settlers made their homesteads on these three rivers. The West Plum Creek ends at Sedalia, Colorado, founded in 1865. This land along the West Plum Creek is Horse Country as it has been for over 140 years. On Saturday September 19th, the Douglas County Republicans held their annual picnic. They chose the Wiens...

Weary of the direction the federal government is going, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck hopes voters will elect him as the next U.S. senator from Colorado in 2010 so he can make changes, he said Wednesday. “I am as tired as you are at the social engineering that goes on in the federal government,” Buck said to about 40 people at the Larimer County Republican Party’s monthly meeting. He hopes to face Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet during the next election. Aurora City Council member Ryan Fraizer also has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat....

On Tuesday, April 28, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck announced his plans to challenge Colorado’s freshman Democrat senator. Buck, who has long been rumored to be entering the race, telegraphed his punches on April 23, when he registered the Web site promoting his candidacy — www.buckforcolorado.com. Before facing Bennet, however, Buck may have to win a Republican primary. Other possible GOP contenders include Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier and former 7th Congressional District Rep. Bob Beauprez, both of whom have expressed interest in the race. Buck did not return an interview request from The Colorado Statesman, but it’s possible...

Weld District Attorney Ken Buck said Tuesday that he’s leaning toward running for Senate in 2010 against Senate appointee Michael Bennet. However, Buck said he has ruled out running for other offices while on his listening tour around the state. Buck said he likely will file paperwork to run for the Senate seat in April and then will announce his candidacy. He declined to give a date for his announcement. Bennet, a Democrat, was appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to the Senate after Ken Salazar left his seat to take a position in President Barack Obama’s cabinet. Buck, a Republican,...

Wadhams said two Republicans have expressed interest in running for governor in 2010 but have not yet announced - former U.S. Congressman Scott McInnis and current State Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry. Republicans eyeing the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Michael Bennet who was appointed to fill Ken Salazar’s term through 2010 are former legislator Bob Beauprez, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, Ryan Frazier of Aurora and conservative talk show host Dan Caplis, Wadhams said. “It will take a few months to figure out who is going to get in this thing,” Wadhams said. “They are all...

Anyone else notice something peculiar about today's bill signing? Typically, a bill signing takes place in the East Room, or in the Rose Garden if the weather is nice. The president is flanked by the bill's co-sponsors who get to share in the glory and bask in the reporters' flash bulbs and television cameras. Not this time. There was no Congressional procession to the White House. No press conference on the driveway. Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, and Steny Hoyer did not get to stand beaming with pride as Obama signed into law billions upon billions of dollars of...

My friends and I here in safely-Republican Arizona are wondering how we might best help out the party in neighboring "purple" states on Election Day. We've taken the Monday through Wednesday off work, and want to make a road trip to either Nevada or Colorado to help with the "ground game" of getting our voters to the polls. Do we contact the campaign, or the state Republican parties, or what? Is it better to go to Democratic strongholds like Denver or Las Vegas, or to concentrate on the rural areas? We can provide our own vehicles and pay for our...